Individual Learning Accounts
Guidance for Implementing Pilot Projects
APPENDIX A:
OPM Federal ILA Pilot Initiative Guidelines
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING ACCOUNTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BACKGROUND:
A. Task Force findings.
B. Task Force recommendations.
ESTABLISHING AGENCY PILOT PROJECTS:
A. Definition of Federal individual
learning account.
B. Objectives of agency individual
learning account pilots.
C. Eligibility for individual learning
accounts.
D. Some suggestions and examples
for individual learning account pilots.
E. Issues that need resolution.
REPORTING ILA PILOTS TO OPM AND IMPLEMENTING PILOTS:
A. ILA pilot project designs.
B. ILA pilot implementation.
C. ILA pilot project evaluations.
Table: Timetable for initial pilots and their evaluation.
D. OPM contact.
APPENDICES:
1. Sample format for reporting pilot
designs to OPM.
2. Existing Title 5 Flexibilities and
Allowable Training Expenses.
Individual Learning Accounts:
Guidance for Implementing Pilot Projects
Background:
President Clinton's January 12, 1999,
Executive
Order No. 13111, "Using Technology to Improve Training Opportunities
for Federal Government Employees," established the Presidential
Task Force on Federal Learning Technology, a task force to explore how
Federal training programs, initiatives, and policies can better support
lifelong learning through the use of learning technology. The Task Force
consists of heads of Federal departments and agencies and their representatives.
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The Executive Order requires the Task Force to complete several tasks
within specific time frames. These tasks included a requirement to
"Develop options and recommendations for establishing a Federal
Individual Training Account for each Federal worker for training relevant
to his or her Federal employment. To the extent permitted by law,
such accounts may be established with the funds allocated to the agency
for employee training. Approval for training would be within the discretion
of the individual employee's manager. Options and recommendations
shall be reported no later than six (6) months from the date of this
order."
To meet this charge, the Task Force created a workgroup, which researched
current ILA use in the public, and private sectors, explored issues
related to implementing ILAs in the Federal Government, and prepared
recommendations that the Task Force forwarded to the President on July
12, 1999.
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A. Task Force findings.
The Task Force found that Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) are a
relatively new concept, and there are not many examples of programs
with a long track record. The programs reviewed by the Task Force were
all in early implementation stages, in the private and public sectors.
In these programs, both the employee and the employer, and sometimes
the state, contribute money to a bank or company account in the employee's
name, which the employee may use for education and training. Before
dispersing funds from an account, a bank or a company official makes
sure that the money will be used for its intended purpose. Other characteristics
of the programs studied included:
- Each establishes a base amount of funding.
- Each is expressed in dollars.
- Each establishes a set aside for the use of a specific individual.
- Each is designed for the purpose of learning and development.
These ILAs differ from traditional tuition assistance and reimbursement
programs in which the employer pays, or reimburses an employee, for
the expenses of education, in whole or in part. In an ILA program, the
employee uses the account as he or she wishes for learning and education,
within the parameters for which the account is established.
The Task Force also found that some Federal agencies already have ILA-like
arrangements with employees. For example, in some agencies, a specific
amount of money is set aside for training each individual employee.
The funds pay, or reimburse the employee, in whole or in part, for training
and education related to his or her official duties. The employee may,
or may not, contribute personal time and money to this training.
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B. Task Force recommendations
The Task Force determined that ILAs might be a positive addition to
an agency's toolbox of approaches to meet employee training needs and
to support lifelong learning. It felt Federal agencies should experiment
with using ILAs and recommended that agencies conduct pilots.
The Task Force also recommended that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) manage the ILA pilot initiative, develop guidelines for implementation,
analyze results of agency pilots and publish a report on lessons learned.
ESTABLISHING AGENCY PILOTS:
A. Definition of Federal individual learning accounts
While all the ILA programs reviewed by the Task Force are funded in
terms of dollars, the group concluded that limiting the definition of
ILAs to dollar accounts would be too restrictive for Federal pilots.
The Task Force agreed that for the Federal pilots, an ILA is a base
amount of resources expressed in terms of dollars or hours or both that
are set aside for an individual employee to use for his or her learning
and development. Accounts may be used to develop knowledge, skills,
and abilities that directly relate to the employee's official duties.
ILAs are not limited to programs delivered by learning technology.
B. Objectives of agency individual learning account pilots.
An ILA is a strategy or tool that complements current agency training
activities. The objectives of agency ILA pilots include, but are not
limited to:
- Improving organizational performance and meeting specific agency
performance goals.
- Increasing employee access to and use of emerging learning technology.
- Supporting employee efforts to acquire skills and learning needed
to succeed in specific occupations and professions.
- Providing employees with flexible learning opportunities, and putting
the responsibility for learning in the hands of the learner.
- Improving Federal employee performance, increasing productivity,
and improving customer service skills.
- Supporting employee lifelong learning.
- Determining the scope and practicality of ILAs.
- Identifying legal and regulatory constraints to effective implementation
of ILAs.
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C. Eligibility for individual learning accounts.
With the exception of Schedule C appointees and uniform personnel in
the U.S. Department of Defense, an agency may establish ILA pilots that
include any executive branch Federal employee, including career, career
conditional, part time, temporary, or excepted service employee in professional,
technical, clerical, administrative, or management positions.
D. Some suggestions and examples for individual learning
account pilots.
Pilots may be instituted to meet general or specific agency needs.
For example,
- Targeted pilots might establish accounts used to develop specific
skills that employees need throughout the agency, i.e., technology
skills or leadership skills.
- A special purpose pilot could establish accounts for employees
in low skill, low paying jobs in order to build competencies and improve
their competitiveness in the Federal labor pool.
- A pilot could establish learning accounts for the specific purpose
of giving employees more access to learning technology, and to increase
their use of it.
- A pilot could be limited to employees in a specific office or program
area, i.e., the employees in the administrative support function in
a division.
- Widespread, universal pilots could offer learning accounts to any
agency employee
Below are some possible examples of Federal ILAs. These examples are
meant for illustrative purposes only.
- An agency could set aside a designated sum of money annually for
education that meets learning needs identified in employees' competency-based
individual development plans.
- An agency could give employees a designated amount of official
time to dedicate to learning activities related to improving their
performance, such as a specific number of hours each month.
- An agency could establish learning accounts that provide employee's
time for Internet courses or developmental assignments, such as rotational
assignments, intergovernmental assignments, details to other agencies,
and individual learning assignments.
- An agency could use official time to provide employees time for
increased access to subject matter experts and for coaching and mentoring.
- An agency could establish accounts for employees needing professional
credentials, and cover some or all of the costs of job-related training
to prepare for exams and also provide employees a designated amount
of time to prepare for exams.
- An agency could also institute a development program that, in addition
to orientation, collateral assignments, and development assignments,
provides each participant a sum of money for academic education related
to the program.
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Issues that need resolution
As agencies identify possible pilots, they should consider issues such
as equity and union involvement in pilot development and implementation.
They also need to track and be able to report to OPM any issues associated
with the administration and funding of the pilots.
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REPORTING ILA PILOTS TO OPM AND
IMPLEMENTING PILOTS:
A. ILA pilot project designs
Agency pilot plans should be submitted to OPM in order for OPM to track
pilot numbers and types and prepare for assessment of this Governmentwide
initiative. Agencies wishing to experiment with ILAs should submit their
plans by January 14, 2000. Designs for agency pilots should include,
but are not limited to:
- Major purpose of the pilot, including results intended, performance
objectives, and measures for success.
- A plan for collective bargaining unit involvement in pilot design
and implementation.
- Scope of pilot, including participating agency program(s), numbers
and kinds of employees covered, funds or time agency contributes,
expectations about employee contributions, etc.
- Pilot administration, including how set-asides of dollars and official
time will be handled, how equal access will be assured, how employee
reaction will be assessed, etc.
Send plans of pilot projects to Director, U.S. Office of Personnel
Management, Room 5305, 1900 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20415.
B. ILA pilot implementation
Agency pilot programs should begin no later than March 15, 2000.
However, in some cases, agencies may wish to initiate pilots after
March 15. Additional pilots are encouraged, those agencies should submit
plans as indicated above and submit preliminary evaluation results no
later than six months after the launch date.
C. ILA pilot project evaluations.
Preliminary evaluations of agency pilots are due to OPM by September
30, 2000. Evaluations should include:
- A brief description of the pilot, its intended purpose, how the
pilot was implemented, and the measures established to determine its
success.
- An assessment of pilot results, that is, how well the pilot accomplished
its intended purpose, met established performance measures, and contributed
to a positive change in workforce performance.
- A description of numbers and types of employees covered; staff
time dedicated to the pilot; number of employees who participated;
types and kinds of learning activities pursued by employees; agency
contributions in money and official time; and employees' contributions
in money and personal time.
- A summary of employees' reactions to the pilot, including feedback
from participating employees, managers and supervisors and others
involved.
- A description of barriers encountered in implementing ILA pilots.
- Agency recommendations for further program, agency and Governmentwide
actions.
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Timetables for Initial Pilots
and Their Evaluation
Submit proposals to OPM by January 14, 2000.
Begin pilot programs no later than March 15, 2000.
Submit preliminary evaluations to OPM by September 30, 2000.
Should an agency launch a pilot after March 15, 2000, it should
submit preliminary evaluations no later than six months after
the launch date.
PM will analyze pilots and issue guidance by March 2001.
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D. Questions about establishing and implementing ILA pilots
Questions about establishing and implementing ILA pilots should be
directed to LaVeen Ponds at OPM's Office of Human Resource Development,
202-606-1394.
Sample Format for Reporting Pilot
Designs to OPM
Identifying information:
- Agency name, address.
- Point of contact's name, street address, phone number, fax number,
and e-mail address.
Pilot description:
- Major purpose of pilot - include results pilot intended to achieve
and performance indicators for measuring success.
- Plan for collective bargaining unit(s) involvement in design of
pilot.
- Scope of pilot - include agency program designation, employees to
be covered, what amount of funds or time does the agency contribute,
what amount of funds or time does the employee contribute, etc.
- Administration of pilot - include how will set-asides of dollars
and hours be handled, how equal access will be assured, how employee
reaction will be assessed, etc.
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Existing Title 5 Flexibilities
and Allowable Training
EXPENSES
EXISTING TITLE 5 TRAINING
LAW FLEXIBILITIES
Agencies may provide employees any training or education that improves
their performance or the performance of the organization and assists
in achieving the agency's mission and performance goals. [5 U.S.C. §4101]
An agency may select and assign an employee to academic degree training
and provide employees
effective education and training in compliance with 5 U.S.C. 4107. Merit
systems principles apply to selecting candidates for academic degree
training. (5
U.S.C. §4107; Homeland Security Act 2000 section 1331; Public
Law 107-296 section 1331 Academic Training)
Agencies may share the costs of training and education with employees
and may reimburse employees for all or part of the costs of successfully
completed training and education. [5
U.S.C. §4109]
Agencies may procure and pay for training or education from the source
that best meets their needs with no distinction made between Government
and non-Government sources. [5 U.S.C. §4109]
Agencies can determine when continued service agreements are necessary
to protect the Government's investment and may apply these agreements
to Government or to non-Government training. [5 U.S.C. §4108]
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Tuition and matriculation fees, including fees for online courses.
Library and laboratory services, including fees for online services
and databases.
Purchase or rental of books, materials, and supplies, including computers,
software, CD ROMS and electronic learning material, including adaptive
equipment for persons with disabilities.
Services or facilities directly related to training employees, including
readers for the blind, tutoring, counseling directly related to enrollment
in learning activities, and examinations to determine level of proficiency
and level of training needed.
Travel and expenses, including parking fees and costs for attending
training that takes place outside the employee's duty station.
Membership fees if the fee is a necessary cost directly related to
he training itself or if payment of the fee is a condition precedent
to admission to training.
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